


96 Hours

by Shakinnmovin



Series: Betty & Jughead: The twists of fates [2]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: 96 Hours, Alternate Universe - College/University, Chuck isn't a jerk, Drunken sex, F/M, Fireworks, Jason isn't dead, Labor Day Weekend, Light-Hearted, Mama Cooper is still bad news, Moose and Midge, Polly and Jason ran away to be together, Smut, Suave Jughead, Uncertain Love, lake house
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-09-13
Packaged: 2018-12-06 10:04:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11598342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shakinnmovin/pseuds/Shakinnmovin
Summary: Betty and Jughead were close friends who maintained a good relationship since they were kids. One mistaken night of passion after high school and Jughead uses every occasion to bring it up. Now that Jughead has transferred colleges and is the same one as Betty, she needs to get him to stop teasing her. Forever. THE DEAL- 4 day weekend, just the two of them and he'll "forget" that passionate night ever happened. But what happens when Betty admits that she had feelings for the boy and starts to realize that she still might have them? Jughead reveals some truths as well.





	1. Brunch

**Author's Note:**

> Totally AU. Just came to me one day and decided to put it out there.
> 
> Comments are appreciated!

Brunch! Betty loved her monthly Saturday brunch with the girls and Kevin. Cheryl always brought the drama, Ronnie brought the sass and Kevin brought the latest boy toy stories. Fun meal over mimosas and chocolate croissants. She needed it! College was tougher than she thought it would be. Her professors, although wonderful teachers, seem to frequently forget that their classes were not the only ones in existence. Ever the perfectionist, Betty strived hard to be the best of the best. Now, finishing up her 2nd year at Columbia, Betty let out a sigh of relief. Her internship at the New Yorker was a dream come true plus the fact that she didn't have to go to Riverdale for the summer was another blessing. She had the week before Labor Day off and then it was back to Columbia for another full filled year. 

Betty was running 8 minutes behind. Smoothing her pale peach sundress and flicking back her blonde hair, she quickened her pace. Ronnie said she was bringing a friend to brunch but before she could elaborate, her mother had called to complain about Polly. 

Walking into the crowded restaurant, Betty quickly scanned the place and spotted Cheryl waving at her.

"Sorry I'm late, Cheryl," Betty leaned over to kiss Cheryl's cheek and she sat down next to her. Betty looked around the table, Kevin was sitting opposite her and sitting next to him was Veronica. A red-head was sitting next to her.

"Archie? What are you doing here?" Betty laughed as she went got up to hug her childhood friend. She hadn't seen him in almost a year. He was in college in Berkley all the way on the other side of the country.

"I was in town to visit my mom and thought I'd crash your monthly brunch," Archie said hugging Betty back. 

"Ronnie- You didn't tell me the "friend" was Archie," Betty said happily as she stepped back and smiled at Archie. 

"Archie was actually a surprise to me too. The friend I mentioned is..." Veronica said.

"Hello, Betty!" Jughead interrupted.

Betty felt a shiver go down her spine. Jughead Jones! Betty forced herself to smile as she turned around. 

"Jughead," Betty said with false enthusiasm. "When did you get here?" She leaned over and gave Jughead a peck on the cheek before she went to sit down in her chair.

The only empty seat was between Kevin and Betty. Jughead dropped himself in his chair and ran a hand through his thick black hair. "Got in last night along with Archie. I called Ronnie to tell her I was coming just to surprise her with Archie." 

"The gang is back together again," Kevin said enthusiastically as he looked around the table. He missed Betty's pale appearance and Jughead's Cheshire cat smile. 

As everyone noisily started to move items around the table, Jughead calmly whispered to Betty, "Remember what happened during Ronnie's graduation party?"

"No..." Betty lied tucking a lock of blonde hair behind her ear as she shot Cheryl a smile. 

"Really? The blush tells me otherwise but even if you don't, I'd love to refresh your memory." Jughead said as he bit into a cheese danish. 

Betty felt the blush get deeper. "Pass me the butter, Kev," Betty said perkily. 

Kev passed the butter to Betty and told Jughead. "I heard the news. Congratulations!"

"Thanks. I'm pretty excited."

"What news?" Betty asked curiously.

"I transferred to Columbia," Jughead said matter a factly. 

"But I go to Columbia," Betty said shakily as she pointed to herself.

"I know. Looks like we are going to be in most of the same classes."

"Jughead," Cheryl said happily, "that's such great news. Maybe you can get our girl here to calm down. She's always stressed out about classes. You can do group study sessions." She placed a hand on Betty's shoulder.

"That's a great idea. Cheryl. But I might need help catching up to Betty's high standards." Jughead said. Betty could sense a bit of mockery in his words but chose to ignore it. 

Jughead's hand was casually placed on Betty's knee. His fingers were rubbing delicate circles on her warm skin. She was trying to ignore the sensations his touch was creating. Taking a sip of her apple juice, Betty tried to hear Archie talk about his college experience. 

"You need to stop," Betty whispered to Jughead.

Jughead looked straight into Betty's green eyes and asked innocently. "Stop what? Stop enticing feelings of lust in you?"

Betty bit her lower lip. "If I admit what we did during Reggie's graduation party, will you leave me alone?"

"I might consider it," Jughead said thoughtfully. With his free hand, he picked up his coffee cup and sipped the hot liquid.

"Fine! I remember what we did in Reggie's garage. Satisfied?" Betty gives in reluctantly. 

"Garage? I seem to remember the bathroom a little more vividly," Jughead said naughtily. 

"I remember the bathroom as well," Betty mumbled. Thank goodness both Cheryl and Veronica had a crush on Archie. They were both hanging on to his every word. Kevin was busy texting someone and wasn't paying attention to his friends. 

"...and the back of Reggie's car?" Betty moves her leg away from Jughead. But he just slides his chair closer to her.

"OK. I remember starting in Reggie's car and then going to the garage and finally ending up in the bathroom. Happy?" Betty concedes begrudgingly.

"No," Jughead said. 

Betty turned to look at Jughead's face. His blue eyes held mischief and he arched his eyebrow. 

"What do you want?" Betty asked swatting away the offending hand moving up her leg. He finally moved it. 

"A repetition," Jughead said as he ran both hands through his black hair.

"No way. That was a mistake. Let me remind you that we hate each other. I was giddy at the thought of finally leaving Riverdale and Reggie's generous supply of Vodka didn't help," Betty said as she viciously shook her head. 

"I'm sure our friends would love to give their input on our situation," Jughead said as he directed his attention to their friends and looked like he was going to publically declare what happened 2 years ago.

Betty grabbed Jughead's hand to stop him and angrily mumbled. "Tell me what I need to do to get rid of you?"

Jughead didn't answer. "Ronnie, your cabin in upstate New York by the lake, do you might if I stayed there over Labor Day weekend? Actually, this year it falls on a Tuesday so I get Monday off. Can I stay there from Friday until Tuesday? I need to relax before starting school in a new place."

Veronica looked surprised. "Sure. The family is going on an Alaskan Cruise so it's free. Betty, what are you up to? Do you want to join us on the cruise?"

"No. I can't. I have work," Betty lied. She picked at a crumb on the table.

"Work? I thought you had the whole week off before school started?" Cheryl inquired innocently.

Damn Cheryl and her elephant memory! 

"I have the week off from work but I still have other "work" to get ready for college."

"Really?" Jughead said easily. "I can't imagine what would take a whole week. You need to relax and join me at the lake house. What do you think Veronica? The whole gang can go together."

"Fabulous idea! I wish I could join but daddy really wants me to go on this cruise," Veronica said sadly.

"I have to be at Riverdale to see Grandma Rose," Cheryl said sipping her mimosa.

Kevin finally looked up from his phone. "Sorry! Father-son fishing trip." 

Betty's pleading eyes were on Archie. "Wish I could but Ronnie just invited me on the cruise and I already agreed."

If looks could kill, Cheryl's glare would have obliviated Veronica.

" So it's just going to be you and me, kid," Jughead said in his best Humphrey Bogard voice as he wrapped an arm around Betty's shoulders. "Thanks, Ronnie. You are the best."

Everyone went back to their food, Betty stared darkly at Jughead who was busy cutting a piece of steak. Without looking up, he asked, "What are you looking at?"

"96 hours and you'll never mention what happened at Ronnie's graduation to anyone including me. No innuendos, no jokes, no sly remarks. It's like it never happened- capiche! If I hear that you told another living soul, I'll gut you like the pig that you are."

"Sheesh. Horny and Violent. I'm not sure what I'm getting myself into," Jughead mocked biting into a roasted potato. "This tastes so good. Want a piece?" Jughead asked brightly ignoring Betty's death stare.

"Fuck you. Jug," Betty huffed turning back to her plate. Appetite lost!

"Oh, I intend on getting fucked. Several times, in fact, and during our 96 hours in the lake house and if you're nice to me, I might...just might..." he raises his fork, pointing it at Betty and stresses the last word, "teach you a few things. And no acting like an unwilling victim. You are going to be my very satisfied girlfriend for 96 hours."

"Could you be any more of an asshole?" Betty asked. She pushed her hair back from her face.

"I could. I could just tell everyone right now how I satisfied you, not once, not twice but three times in less than 90 minutes and how you begged me to ...how did you put it?" Jughead paused like he was trying to think, his eyebrows furrowed as his finger tapped his pouted lips, "...never stop, Juggie. That feels so good. Harder, deeper, faster." His voice raised a whole octave.

Betty blushed. "Shut up!"

"I will shut up once you scream my name so loud that people across the lake will have to cover their ears."

Jughead got up suddenly scraping his chair back. "Ronnie, thanks for brunch but Archie and I have to go apartment hunting for yours truly. Cheryl," Jughead turned to her and gave her a broad smile. "Lovely to see you as always and Kevin," He slapped the boy's back. "Guy's night when school starts."

Archie and Jughead quickly said their goodbyes and left. Veronica and Cheryl immediately started to bicker over Archie while Kevin went back to his phone.

A ping had Betty look at her cell phone and there was a message from Jughead. "28 days!"

Betty wished the ground would open up and swallow her but she couldn't help but feel a small thrill. She pushed that feeling down though, way, way down.


	2. Day 1 (the first 12 hours)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jughead and Betty reach the lake house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for the late post. With summer vacations, work and classes, this just got away from me.

****Betty was a nervous wreck. She had pulled out every piece of summer clothing from her closet. She had packed, unpacked and then repacked her overnight bag to the lake house. What should she take on this vacation? Was it even a vacation or a semi-hostage situation? Why was she so nervous? Her heart was beating a mile a minute and she hadn’t even reached her destination yet.

 

Jughead had moved to New York last week and had an apartment less than 3 blocks from her. His constant texting during the past three days wasn’t helping. He’s known her almost all her life and yet he still had questions like _“You eat pasta right or are you on a low-carb diet?_ ” Followed by _“Not that you need to diet.”_ Then he would say something sweet like _“Bring something warm, it gets cool in the evenings.Don’t want you to catch a cold.”_

 

Betty flopped on her bed. She ran a hand through her blonde hair and taking a fistful of it, she let out a frustrated groan. “Argh!” Jughead was adamant that they drive together but she had insisted on taking separate cars. She had no idea what was in store for her and a clean getaway might be absolutely necessary.

 

**_PING!_ **

 

Betty looked at her phone. JUGHEAD AGAIN!

 

Jughead: _I'm leaving first thing in the morning. You still have time to change your mind and we can go together._

 

Betty: _No, I'm good. Already loaded the car up with necessary groceries. And going to make a couple of stops of the way up._

 

Jughead: _See you at 5:00 pm. And don't be late! Or someone might need to be punished. :)_

 

Betty felt a strange quiver in her lower belly. She chalked it down to nerves. Getting up from bed, she turned back to her closet. She pulled out a black silky lingerie. It had scalloped lace on the bottom that stopped mid-thigh with a heart-shaped neckline. She bought it on a vim when shopping with Veronica. Shaking her head, Betty threw it back into the closet. She wasn't trying to be sexy for Jughead. She decided on a plain blue pajama set with shorts. 

 

There was a beautiful man-made lake three miles away from Veronica's house that closely imitated the beach. Maybe she could convince Jughead to go there one day. She could make a picnic to entice him. " _And your black bikini_?” The voice in her head sounded strangely like Jughead. The black bikini might be a bit too revealing but who cared? She needed a tan and that swimwear was the best to give her what she wanted. “ _What you want is to get laid.”_  Again, Jughead's voice was in her head. 

 

Shaking her head to get Jughead’s cool baritone voice out of it, Betty neatly packed her bag. Shorts, a skirt, a couple of tank tops, a sundress, flip-flops, sunglasses, accessories, toiletries, and plenty of bug spray and sunscreen. She zipped up her bag and walked over to the front door, dropping it with a thud. Staring at the bag for a minute and then stomping her feet, she went back to her closet and grabbed the black silky lingerie. She unzipped the bag and stuffed it in. Who knows? She might meet someone at the lake house. “ _Liar!_ ” And this time the voice didn’t sound like Jughead. It was hers.

 

 

The next day, Betty got up late. She took her sweet time getting ready and the usual 2-hour drive to the lake house took a leisurely 5 hours with multiple stops to buy peaches, a vineyard to pick up a couple of bottles of red and white wine and even a stop at the nail salon. She treated herself to a mani/pedi.

 

Betty parked her spotless Lexus GS next to Jughead's rusty pickup truck. She peeked into the pickup as she hoisted her overnight bag over her shoulder, her arms full of grocery bags full of food and wine. The interior was full of burger wrappers, empty slushy cups and pizza boxes. “Some things never change”, Betty thought as she shook her head.

 

Taking the 3 steps up to the house, Betty tried to ring the doorbell but her hands were full of bags. She hit the door three times with her foot trying to make it sound like a knock. Hearing hurried footsteps, she stepped back as she waited for Jughead to open the door.

 

Jughead threw the door open, gave Betty a broad smile, grabbed the grocery bags out of her hands and rushed away. He dumped the bags on the kitchen counter and said, "Hey, you're on time. I have something in the oven. Just put your stuff in the master bedroom. You know where it is, right?"

 

"Yeah. Been here many times over the years with V. Though I always was in the guest room, never the master. Do you think the Lodge's would might if we took their room?" Betty looked around the vaulted great room with the floor to ceiling windows overlooking the lake. The huge TV over the fireplace was the only thing that had changed over the years. It had gotten bigger and slimmer over time. Hiram Lodge was a techno-maniac. He loved shopping for the latest electronics much to Hermione’s irritation.

 

"Nah!" Jughead said as he took a pan out of the oven. He closed his eyes as he inhaled the smell of what he was cooking, a small smile on his face. "This looks so look, even if I say so myself."

 

"Jughead Jones! Cooking dinner, color me impressed," Betty said walking to the master bedroom. 

 

"I aim to please," Jughead called back. "In every possible way."

 

The innuendo was not lost on Betty. She rolled her eyes as she made her way to the bedroom. Walking in, she looked at the beautiful king-size canopy bed with the embroidered bedspread that Betty knew cost more than her monthly salary. The view out the window was mesmerizing. The purple mountains and the glistering river was like a painting by [Claude Monet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Monet). She opened the closet and hung all her clothes. Going to the bathroom, she arranged her toiletries and hopped into the shower to rinse off the travel smell. Pulling on her gray knit shorts and a red tank top, she suddenly realized that Jughead's stuff was not in the bathroom. She went back to the bedroom and opened the closets. None of Jughead's stuff was in the room either. 

 

Walking barefoot out to the kitchen, Betty watched as she saw Jughead working. She leaned against the wall and watched him. He was a beautiful man. Not handsome, he was too pretty to be handsome. He was tall and slim with pale skin and high cheek bones. His raven black hair was thick and wavy falling over his forehead. 

 

"Pot roast, fennel salad and garlic bread with ice cream for dessert," Jughead said as he saw Betty. He looked so proud of himself. Betty couldn't help but smile.

 

"A salad? Jughead Jones eating a salad?" Betty teased.

 

"That's actually more for you than me," Jughead said as he shrugged. 

 

Betty took a cabernet from one of the groceries bags that she had brought with her. She opened a drawer and took out the wine opener. Piercing the cork of the bottle with the screw, she looked at the table. It was already set with white tableware and she admired the wildflowers arranged in the vase. Yellow sunflowers, red Alstroemeria and purple asters.

 

Jughead had placed the dinner on the table and took his seat at the head of it. She walked to the table with the open bottle of wine and poured them both a glass before she sat down herself. She spread a napkin across her lap. She took the bowl of salad and placed some of it on her plate. She did the same for Jughead. His face grimaced. Betty smiled at his expression and took some salad away as he looked satisfied at the two pieces of greens on his plate. He gave Betty a smile. His blue eyes shone brightly.

 

"This is amazing, Juggie," Betty said as she took a bite of her salad.

 

Jughead smiled and chuckled.

 

“What?” Her left eyebrow lifted questioningly.

 

“Juggie,” He stated. “You haven't called me that in a while. In fact, you haven't called me anything in a while.”

 

Betty felt guilty. Jughead was always a good friend but after the incident at Reggie's house, she sort of cut all communication with him. She wasn’t sure how to behave. She was embarrassed. She had thrown herself on him. Literally! They were in the back of Reggie’s car and Jughead was talking about…something. She hadn’t heard what he was saying but she remembered how his pink lips moved. His Adam’s apple bounced as he spoke excitedly. She didn’t even wait for him to finish talking but she launched herself on him. Betty blushed thinking about how he was frozen for a few seconds before responding to her advances.

 

After a few minutes of silence, each of them lost in their own thoughts, and eating the tasty meal, Betty said, "Humm...Juggie, you missed your calling. You should have been a chef."

 

"I would be too busy eating the food instead of serving it," Jughead said.

 

Betty nodded in agreement. "So," Betty said slowly, "we aren't sharing a room?"

 

"Do you want to share a room?" Jughead asked as he took a hearty bite of beef. 

 

"I just assumed that we were," Betty said as she readjusted her back to the seat.

 

"Well, you assumed wrong," Jughead's tone was firm.

 

“Wasn’t that the whole point of forcing me up here?” Betty asked confused.

 

Jughead looked at her with narrowed eyes. “I forced you up here in hopes that we could become friends again.”

 

“We are friends,” Betty said. She looked at him with her big, green eyes.

 

“Really? So I must have missed all those phone calls after we left for college. All those texts were delivered to the wrong number. Those birthday, Christmas and “Just because” cards that you sent me over 2 years suddenly got lost in the mail after we left Riverdale.”

 

Betty felt her whole body become warm. There was complete truth to what he said and she hated being called on it.

 

“You kept teasing me about sleeping together,” Betty defended herself. “I was embarrassed, OK?”

 

“I only started teasing you after that first Christmas during our freshman year. I was mad at you and how you were treating me. You avoided me and my teasing you was the only way to get any kind of response from you,” Jughead said angrily.

 

“I wasn’t sure how to react after I threw myself at you,” Betty said. She looked at her plate to avoid looking at Jughead.

 

“After you threw yourself at me?” Jughead asked.

 

“Yes. Do you want me to apologize? I’m sorry that I threw myself at you in the back of Reggie’s car. I’m sorry that I dragged you to his garage and screwed you again on the hood of Mr. Mantle’s antique car.” Betty said frustrated. “Is that what you want to hear?”

 

“Should I be sorry for following you to the bathroom and continuing to fuck you?” Jughead’s voice was getting louder and louder with every word. “Well, I’m not! I enjoyed every second of that night. I wanted to repeat it for the rest of the summer and after but you didn’t give me a chance to say anything. You just shut me off.”

 

They both fell silent and avoided looking at each other as they pushed their food around their plates. Betty was the brave person who got up first. She took her plate to the sink and started to clean the kitchen.

 

“You can leave it. I can clean up,” Jughead said behind her.

 

“No. You cooked and I can clean,” Betty replied. “I can finish this up in a jiffy.”

 

“I can put on a movie if you like. I have ice cream in the freezer. Your favorite- Butter pecan.” Jughead said.

 

Betty was tired and didn’t feel like a movie but Jughead was trying to normalize things between them. She really wanted to be friends with him.

 

"I've been wanting to Annabelle. The creepy movie that Cheryl keeps talking again. She’s such a horror buff,” Betty said over her shoulder. “Why don’t you look for it on Netflix or Amazon Prime? I’ll finish up and come over.”

 

“OK. I’ll take the bowls and ice cream.”

 

Less than 10 minutes later, Betty jumped on the couch and crossed her legs. Jughead was standing in front of the TV. One hand on his hip and the other handling the remote. He walked back and sat next to Betty. “I saw “The shining” as I was browsing. Maybe we can see it tomorrow?”

 

“That movie put me off having twins. Identical twins are just so creepy now," Betty took the bowl of ice cream that Jughead offered her.

 

“I don't think you have an option with identical twins,” Jughead said. “It would be nice to have a person just like yourself.”

 

Betty sank back further into the couch cushions as Jughead started the movie. Fifteen minutes into it, Betty felt her eyes get heavy. She yawned and looked at Jughead. He was fast asleep. His head was resting on his shoulder, his mouth slightly open and both of his arms crossed with his hands tucked into his armpits.

Betty paused the movie. She got up and took their bowls to the dishwasher. She made sure that all the doors were locked and the lights were all switched off except the one in the corridor. She sat next to Jughead who hadn’t stirred at all.

 

“Juggie,” Betty said gently as she shook his shoulder. Jughead let out a snort and opened his eyes. He looked confused.

 

Betty smiled at Jughead’s expression. “Why don’t you go to sleep? You are exhausted.”

 

Jughead nodded and got up. “Goodnight, Betts.”

 

Betty switched off the TV and followed him. She assumed that he was in the bedroom next to hers. He stopped outside his door and looked at her.  Their eyes met and Betty’s eyes darted to his lips. Jughead didn’t notice but pulled Betty into a hug. He gave her a kiss on her forehead and turned around, disappearing into his room.

 

Betty went to her own room. She was so confused. She removed her shorts and tank top and slipped under the covers in just her underwear. The cool sheets and the soft mattress put her to sleep immediately.


	3. Day 2 (12-36 hours)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fair, an old friend and a pie eating contest!

Betty woke up to the sound of a bird chirping loudly outside her window. She slowly opened her eyes to adjust to the bright morning sunlight. Glancing at her phone, she saw that it was 6:52 am. 

Throwing the bedspread off of her, Betty started to get ready for her day. She emerged from her bedroom in the same gray shorts from the previous day with a pink t-shirt. She pulled on her white loafers and walked out. 

The door to Jughead's bedroom was closed. Betty knew he likes to sleep in late and so she busied herself making breakfast. She roasted sliced almonds in butter and chopped some ripe bananas to go into her pancake batter. She started to percolate the coffee and heat up another pan to cook the bacon.

In less than 25 minutes, breakfast is done. Betty was emptying the dishwasher when she heard Jughead's door open. She turned around to see him in black shorts, no shirt with a toothbrush dangling from his mouth. His eyes were still half closed as he dragged his feet across the floor. His hair was pointing in all directions. 

"Morning, sleepyhead," Betty said as she turned back to unloading the dishwasher. His half-naked body was doing things to her nether regions which were best to ignore for the moment.

"It's 7:30 am. No human should be up this early on vacation," Jughead grumbled. He walked to the half-bath to finish brushing his teeth. 

"Then why did you get up?" Betty yelled over the sound of the running bathroom faucet and the clink of dishes as she put them away.

"I smelled bacon," Jughead said as walked back to the kitchen.

"Are those your famous, almond pancakes with bananas drizzled with chocolate?" Jughead said as his eyes became as large as saucers.

"Almost. The chocolate is in the double boiler. I was waiting for you to wake up before I drizzle the pancakes," Betty said bringing over the pan with the melted chocolate. Jughead took his seat in front of the pancakes and watched, wonder-struck, as Betty drizzled the chocolate generously. 

"Betty, this is what I dream heaven would smell like," Jughead cut the pancakes in bite size pieces.

Betty laughed as she placed the pan on the counter and brought out the plate of bacon and coffee.

"Aren't you eating?" Jughead said after he took a sip of his black coffee.

"I eat-cook. It's a bad habit," Betty said as she took her seat opposite Jughead. 

Jughead raised his eyebrow in question unable to ask the question due to his mouth being full.

"I ate while I cooked and drank 2 cups of coffee already," Betty said as she bit into a slice of bacon. "What do you want to do today?"

"I was thinking we should go to the county fair," Jughead said wiping his mouth with a napkin.

"I kinda wanted to go to the lake and tan," Betty said. 

Jughead gulped his coffee noisily, "We can do that tomorrow, but it's the last day for the fair and I love funnel cake."

"Funnel cake! You said the magic words," Betty said getting up. "I'm going to get ready."

Betty dressed in her navy blue and beige sleeveless plaid sundress. It is clinched at the waist and flares till it stops mid-thigh. She lets her hair loose in soft waves. She takes her crossover bag and puts it over her head slipping her feet into her white loafers. She hung her sunglasses on her neckline.

"I'm ready," Betty calls outs once she's in the hallway. She turns around when she hears the guest bedroom door open. Jughead is wearing his customary black plaid shirt on top of a white t-shirt and black jeans.

"You look beautiful, Betts," Jughead said taking his keys out of his pocket.

"Ah-ah! No way. I am not riding in your rust bucket on wheels," Betty objected.

"Rusty? My trusted pickup that drove Archie and me from Riverdale to LA, not once, not twice but three times," Jughead said holding out three fingers.

Betty stomped her foot. "But she smells, and you have decaying food in there," Betty whined. 

"Rusty is a "he, " and I cleaned the car last night after you went to bed," Jughead said. 

"It better be clean, or we are taking my car," Betty said as she walked to Rusty.

Betty opened the passenger door of the pickup, and it was spotless! Well, as spotless as a 29-year-old pickup could be. She slipped in. The vinyl seat was making a weird sound as she adjusted herself. 

Jughead got in as well. He smiled at Betty. "I told you. It's clean."

"Fine," Betty said as she folded her arms in defeat. "But I'm choosing the music." She leaned over to adjust the radio. 

"Good luck with that! The radio hasn't worked in more than a year." Jughead started the engine.

"Ah! At least does the air-conditioning work?"

Jughead gave Betty a smirk as he looked over his shoulder to pull out of the driveway. 

"Are you serious?" Betty said not expecting an answer from him as she rolled down the windows. 

The 15-minute ride to the county fair was driven in silence, each lost in their thoughts. 

After parking the pickup, Betty and Jughead proceed to go the carnival part of the fair. 

"What should I win for you?" Jughead asked Betty.

"Win for me?" Betty asked faking offense. 

Jughead grinned. He knew how competitive she was. "Each of us spends $20.00 on tickets. The one who wins the most prizes wins the game, and the loser buys the funnel cake."

"And the vanilla ice cream!"

"Huh?"

"You haven't had a scoop of vanilla ice cream on warm funnel cake?" 

"Nope. But I will taste some today courtesy you," Jughead said taking out his wallet. "Meet you back here in 30 minutes?"

Betty smiled. She paid for her 25 tokens and said,"You're going down buddy." She happily walked away with a little skip in her step.

_______________________________________________________

30 minutes later:

Betty came back to the designated spot with two goldfish, a small stuffed parrot, and a pink flamingo. She spotted Jughead headed her way. 

"I win!" Betty shouted jumping around. 

"Steady! Steady! I don't think the goldfish want to have the same experience as those bagged fish in "Finding Nemo" when the dentist's niece shook them to death," Jughead said. He held out a goldfish and a huge stuffed monkey. "And you don't win. I have a huge stuffed monkey. That's equal to all your prizes."

"Na-ah. No way! I win, Jones. Say it or I'm going to scream your real name at the top of my lungs," Betty said. Her green eyes shone with mischief.

"Fine! You win. Let's get the funnel cake and the ice cream. But before that, we need to find some kids to give all this stuff to," Jughead smiled and looked for a hapless child. 

It doesn't take long to unload the toys and goldfish. Jughead notices Betty look at a stuffed octopus on the way to get a funnel cake. She doesn't give it more than a glance, but Jughead knows she wants it. 

They pick up the funnel cake and ice cream.

"Way too sweet," Jughead said. "I prefer the ice cream free version."

Betty takes a spoonful of ice cream and tops it with pieces of funnel cake. "You have no sense of taste," Betty said.

"Hey," Jughead said. "Wait here. I'll be back in 15 minutes."

Betty nodded as she sat on the bench enjoying her concoction of ice cream and funnel cake. She finished and proceeded to throw the plates and spoons in the trash when she heard someone call her.

"BeeCoop!" A loud masculine voice called out behind Betty. She squinted and looked for the source of the sound. She spotted the tall, dark-haired man walking towards her.

"Can you not call me that?" Betty laughed as Reggie bent his knees a little and wrapped his long arms around Betty's waist. He twirled her around. Betty held onto Reggie's T-shirt and squeezed her eyes shut. "Reg, stop. I just had a funnel cake with vanilla ice cream, and I'm going to throw up on you."

Reggie pretended not to hear her, and after the third twirl, he set her down. Betty blinked rapidly as she held her hands up to settle herself. 

"Reggie, what are you doing here?" Betty asked.

"Family reunion! 75 crazy Mantles in one place." Reggie said. His Cheshire cat grin was contagious, and Betty beamed back. "What are you doing here? "

"I thought I would enjoy myself before starting my Junior year at Columbia. What better place than V's lake house," Betty said. "It's so good to see you." Betty leaned over and gave Reggie aside hug.

"Missed you too, BeeCoop," Reggie said returning the hug and turning his head to lay his chin on the top of Betty's. 

"Why do you insist on calling me that?"

Reegies didn't answer her question. "Oh, my! Is that Jones?"

Betty groaned. "Yes. That's him." She stopped the top of his head as he made his way through the crowd.

"Danny Darko finally had the guts to ask you out?" Reggie asked.

"No, we are here as friends," Betty lied pushing the hair off of her face. "And what do you mean finally ask me out?"

"He's had a crush on you since freshman year," Reggie said as he loosened his grip around Betty's shoulders to look down at her face.

"No, he hasn't," Betty scoffed. 

Reggie gave Betty a puzzled look. "For someone so smart, you certainly can be oblivious. I love your plaid dress, by the way. I'm sure wearing it was purely by coincidental." Reggie arched an eyebrow as he smirked.

"It's just a plaid dress, Reggie. Don't read too much into it," Betty said. 

Jughead stood in front of them. He had a puzzled look on his face. "Look who's here? J.Jones!" Reggie removed his arm from Betty's shoulder to shake Jughead's hand and clasped his shoulder with the other.

Betty looked at Jughead. He had a huge stuffed gray octopus with a top hat in his hand.

"Did you win? Oh, my gosh, Juggie." Betty threw his arms around Jughead's neck squeezing the stuffed sea creature between them. The raven haired boy's face beamed with happiness as he placed his hands on her waist.

Betty released Jughead and hugged the octopus. Reggie looked from Betty's happy face to Jughead's bright one. 

"Ahem," Reggie cleared his throat as the couple looked at him. "I hate to break up this...whatever this is...but I have to go find the rest of my people." Turning to Betty, he leaned over and gave Betty a peck on the cheek. "I will text you, ok? Maybe we can do dinner before you leave?"

Betty grabbed Reggie's shirt so that he couldn't move back; she whispered, "This isn't about pumping me for information about ...the redheaded vixen, is it?"

Reggie blushed deep red that would have matched the Red Vixen's hair. "Shhh..." He glanced at Jughead who had a confused frown on his face.

"It's our little secret, I promise," Betty laughingly said.

"What was that about?" Jughead said after Reggie had left them.

"Nothing." Betty's lips were sealed.

"Are you going out with him?" Jughead asked.

"No. That's not part of our deal. Four days with you, remember?"

"If it wasn't part of the deal, would you?"

"Reggie would never date me. I am too much of a goody two shoes for him. He needs someone fiery," Betty said. 

Jughead and Betty walked towards the Ferris wheel. 

"Didn't you date him for homecoming in during our junior and senior year?" Jughead asked. 

"Yeah. Cause I asked him out during Junior year since no one else asked me and Senior year I don't remember. We were in the Student Union together, and we just went along. No one asked anyone out. He said he would pick me up and we could go early and finish up the decorations. We went as friends. He liked someone else, but she didn't like him," Betty shrugged her shoulders. The two of them stood in the long line.

"Liked or likes?" Jughead was curious. He wiped the sweat off his brow and proceeded to drink some water.

"I thought it was liked, but he seems to like her still. Strange. For someone so confident he's being such a wimp about asking her out," Betty said with a snort. 

Jughead and Betty looked at each other. "Why didn't you ask me to homecoming? I was closer to you than him?" Jughead asked.

"Cause I had feelings for you, dummy." But she didn't say that. "I just didn't think you wanted to go to homecoming. I was surprised to see you there actually."

"Archie dragged me to it, and Ronnie was fighting with him, so I just tagged along to keep the peace," Jughead said.

"Didn't you go with Ginger Lopez for junior prom?" Betty asked knowing the answer.

"Yeah. You went with Adam."

"He was nice. I think he's in Wash U or was it Washington State. I can't remember exactly," Betty said thoughtfully. Her brows furrowed together trying to remember where Adam said that he was going. 

Jughead was happy that Betty wasn't keeping in touch with Adam.

"I didn't go with anyone for Junior Prom. Polly and Jason had just run away together. They were staying with one of Jason's friends till they graduated. I was devastated. Cheryl even more so. They didn't tell anyone. Just a note and she left the house. A week later, I got a call from her telling me she was pregnant. Cheryl was so excited, and we had planned on going there for Christmas, but our parents shot us down. I would have snuck away, but Polly didn't seem interested in having me visit. I was so hurt. But...She started a whole new life. I guess I didn't fit in anymore."

"I'm sure that's not it," Jughead said kindly. They were nearing the front of the line to get on the Ferris wheel.

"What else could it be?" 

"Have you asked her? Has Cheryl asked Jason?" Jughead questioned.

"Cheryl did, but Jason changed the topic. Totally shut her down," Betty said.

taking out her phone, Betty opened up an app and showed her phone screen to Jughead. "William. That's my nephew and that's Sarah, my niece." 

Jughead saw a blonde, blue-eyed chubby baby boy and a red-headed, brown-eyed girl smiling through the screen. He swiped and saw a few more photos. There were so many photos of the kids- some with Jason and Polly but most without. Every photo with Polly and Jason had them smiling. Polly even looked different. The weight of the world wasn't on her shoulders anymore.

"Where are they?" Jughead asked handling Betty's phone back to her.

"In Pennsylvania, a small town there. Jason works in a golf club as a golf course mechanic," Betty rolled her eyes at Jughead's disbelieving face, "I know right? Polly babysits the neighbor's kids. They seem comfortable. Money isn't flowing, but they both take night classes. Jason is trying to become an accountant and Polly is trying to be a nurse."

"That year was hell for you," Jughead said as he pushed a strand of hair out of her face. "I remember you rarely came to school without red-rimmed eyes."

"My parents were just awful. Fighting all the time. Yelling at me," Betty said, a shiver passing down her spine in spite of the heat. "I don't want to think about it."

Jughead swung his arm across Betty's shoulders and kissed her lightly on her forehead. She leaned her head on his arm and wrapped an arm around his waist.

Jughead broke the comfortable silence. "There a pie eating contest in 30 minutes."

Betty looked up at Jughead's face. "You could win that easily."

_________________________

The announcer's booming voice came through the megaphone. "And the winner is Jughead Jones." 

Betty laughed watching Jughead raise his arms in victory and take an envelope with a check from a beautiful blonde woman. He strutted down the stage steps and gave Betty a broad smile. He bent down to whisper in her ear. "Let's go home. I think I need to throw up! Here are the keys to the truck." He hurriedly moved towards the parking lot.

Betty followed Jughead. He turned back to throw Betty the keys just before they reached the pickup. 

"Are you letting me drive Rusty?" Betty asked apprehensively.

"Remember the brake is a little sticky and the steering wheel needs to be pulled and rotated at the same time," Jughead said. He settled on the passenger side.

"Why don't you get the truck fixed?" Betty asked as he pulled on the seat belt.

"My trusted mechanic didn't talk to me for two years, and I couldn't just take Rusty to just anyone," Jughead reasoned.

"Well, we'll be in the same city. I can take a look once you settle in," Betty said as she maneuvered the vehicle through the parking lot back to the Lodge's lake house.

The second that the two of them stepped into the house. Jughead kicked his shoes off, removed his shirt and t-shirt and threw himself on the couch.

"I'm never eating again. Like ever!" Jughead said.

Betty laughed. "Cherry pie has beaten Jughead's iron stomach."

"I have a trick to help you," Betty said running to her room and bringing out something. She took a few minutes but then brought back a knotted sock with warm rice and some weird smelling spice.

"Lift up your head," Betty ordered as she arranged a few pillows from her bed under Jughead's head. Once Jughead was settled, she took the warm, neon pink sock and rolled the sock slowly yet firmly over Jughead's stomach. "This will make you feel better, I promise. Polly always over did the peaches during summer."

"Just leave the sock and go. This is humiliating," Jughead said weakly.

"You won $50.00! That's something. Frankly, I would have been happier with that blue elephant that the 2nd place winner got. It was so cute," Betty continued to roll the sock over Jughead's stomach. 

"Remind me never to enter a pie eating contest," Jughead moaned in discomfort.

"I don't think I have to remind you. This experience will be etched in your memory forever. When you grow old, and your memory fades, you'll remember this with such accuracy that your doctors will be mystified. And on your deathbed, I am sure I'll hear you say, "No pie.""

"You'll be there on my deathbed?"

"Well, someone has to pull the plug? Archie is too much of a wimp for that."

"And you would happily pull the plug?"

"Well, not happily, but I would pull it." 

Jughead looked at Betty who was kneeling beside the couch. She was smiling tenderly at him.

"Don't look at me like that," Jughead said

"Don't look at you like what?" Betty said innocently.

"Like you want to kiss me."

Betty inched her face closer. "I do want to kiss you. You won me an octopus."

"It cost me $25.00 to win that Octopus," Jughead said sleepily.

"If you'd gone to the store, that octopus would have been $10.00. Tops."

"Meh... but I wouldn't have won it. It's the satisfaction of winning something for my g...you."

Betty continued to rub Jughead's tummy as he drifted off to a deep slumber. His mouth fell open slightly, and a sound somewhere between a freight train and a kettle whistling was released from it.

Betty giggled and pushed a lock of hair away from Jughead's forehead smoothing it back into place. She took the red microfiber throw draped over the back of the couch and placed it over his sleeping form. She leaned in and placed her lips on the corner of his mouth. She moved back and looked at the good-looking man in front of her. His long dark eyelashes fanned his cheeks, and the moles on his face stood out of his pale face. She leaned back and brushed her lips with his. 

Betty stood up and walked to her room. She closed the door and leaned back on it. Placing a hand on her chest, she heard the thumping of her heart-fast and hard. "Juggie, what are you doing to me?"

After a shower, Betty changed into her pajamas. She looked in on Jughead one more time; one leg was thrown across the back of the sofa. The other foot was dangling across the side of it. He had discarded his jeans and was in his plaid boxers, one hand across his eyes and the other under his head. The neon pink sock was sitting on his tummy. She snuck back into her room before she lost all reason and jumped him. Again!


	4. Day 3 (36-60 hours)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A trip to the beach. The appearance of Reggie and lots of smut!!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, I updated this by the weekend. I'm sorry this is so long but a lot can happen in 24 hours. I promise the next chapter will be shorter. Happy reading! Kudos are appreciated but comments more so.

Walking into the hallway, Betty saw Jughead sitting cross-legged on the couch. He was watching something on the television, the light from it shining on his face. He turned his head towards Betty when he heard her walking into the room.

Jughead smiled at her and Betty felt her heart beat faster. She returned his smile and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. She leaned against a wood column and crossed her legs at the ankle.

"Good morning," Betty said sweetly.

"Good morning! I'm going to skip breakfast today. Do you want to head to the beach in an hour?" Jughead asked. He unfolded his legs from under him and stretched them out. He raised his arms and took a deep breath.

"I just need some oatmeal, and then I can get ready. How are you feeling?" Betty asked as her mouth dried up looking at Jughead's half-naked body.

"Better but I don't want to eat anything today. Maybe even tomorrow," Jughead groaned.

"I bet you once we pass the fish and chips place on Blecker street, you'll be singing a different tune," Betty said kindly. "Oh! And by the way, would you mind if Reggie joined us for a bit? He's been texting me, and I think he is wrangling for an invitation to join us at the beach. Totally up to you, though."

Jughead didn't say anything but looked up at the ceiling in deep thought. "Fine as long as my input on his love life isn't required and he doesn't call me J.Jones."

"I can promise you that he won't consult you on the former, but the latter might be a little bit more difficult. I'll make us a nice picnic lunch for the beach," Betty said walking towards Jughead.

"Agh!" Jughead groaned.

"I'll make sure to make something light for your tummy. Crackers and some chicken broth? Some yogurt as well," Betty said. She stopped in front of Jughead and was assessing the boy before her. "Do you want to skip the beach and just spend the day in?"

"Oh no! I'm good," Jughead said. "I'm going to get ready." Jughead got up, and Betty was painfully aware how close he was to her. She clenched her fists to keep from reaching out and touching the man before her. She looked up and was close enough to see the dark flecks on Jughead's blue irises. A confused look crossed his face before he stepped away. He bent his head and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.

"I better get ready," Jughead said and hurried off to his room, slamming it harder than necessary.

Betty stood rooted to her spot staring at Jughead's closed door. Shaking her head to get her mind back on her tasks at hand, she got busy heating up some chicken broth to put in a thermos. Taking the cooler from the pantry, she made some tuna fish salad sandwiches, yogurt, water, crackers, napkins, and fruits arranging them carefully in it.

After the cooler was packed, Betty hauled it to the front door. She went to take a quick shower and put on her black bikini. Looking at herself in the mirror, Betty bit her bottom lip uncertainly. She wished that she had bought a suit that covered her a little more. There was nothing to be done about it presently, so she pulled on her sleeveless, hooded white cover-up and zipped herself up. She turned around and looked at her back. The cover-up was a little too sheer for her liking, but Cheryl bought it for her on a recent trip to Paris and Betty didn't have the heart to refuse it.

Armed with sunscreen, sunglasses, a beach towel and a hat, Betty walked to the hallway. The door to Jughead's bedroom was open, and the cooler was not by the door. She wore her flip-flops, and after a final check, she walked to the porch.

"Juggie," Betty called out. "Are you all set? I'm going to lock the door."

Jughead threw the umbrella in the back of his truck and nodded at Betty. "I have two lounge chairs. Do you think Reggie will need one?"

"Nah! He's only going to be there for a short time. He can just sit on mine if he needs to," Betty said.

"I'll get another one from the shed just in case," Jughead said as he started to walk away towards the back of the cabin.

Betty closed the door and locked it. "Don't be silly Juggie. Let's get going to the beach." She put her sunglasses on and then tied her hair into a knot on the top of her head.

Yanking the truck door open, Betty slid onto the passenger side. Jughead got in as well. He glanced at her long legs and absentmindedly licked his lips. Acting like she didn't notice his reaction, she crossed them. Her cover-up rode higher, exposing more of the pale skin.

Betty smirked and stretched her arms. She could have sworn that she heard Jughead gulp.  
_______________________________________________________

Jughead set up the umbrella while Betty opened up the lounge chairs. She arranged the lounge chairs and placed the cooler between them.

Settling in her chair, Betty started to reapply her sunscreen. It was a hot day, and she didn't want to get burned. Turning to Jughead, she asked him, "Can you put some on my back? I can't reach."

Jughead visibly gulped as Betty gave him a doe-eyed look. Taking the bottle from her hand, Jughead knelt next to her lounge chair and applied the cold liquid onto the skin.

Betty closed her eyes as Jughead's hands rubbed the lotion. She could feel Jughead's warm breath on her neck.

"Ah!" Betty moaned. "That feels so good."

"Maybe you can return the favor and rub something of mine," Jughead said, the innuendo clear.

Betty giggled and was about to reply when they heard a loud, baritone voice shout out.

"BeeCoop, J.Jones!"

Betty heard Jughead groan in frustration. He moved back to settle in his lounge chair. With a brief wave to the dark haired newcomer, he put his sunglasses on and opened up his well-worn copy of "Persuasion."

Jughead was lost in his own thoughts and wasn't paying any attention to Reggie or Betty. But after 15 minutes of Reggie's voice droning on and on about Cheryl and his undying affection for her, Jughead had had enough.

"I can't help it, BeeCoop," Reggie whined as he grabbed a yogurt from the cooler. "I love her, but she doesn't even notice me. I'm 6'2" tall, and a football player but the only person she sees is Archie. Seriously, what does that asshat have that I don't?"

Betty was going to say something, but surprisingly, Jughead jumped in.

"First off, have you told her how you feel?" Jughead asked irritation lacing his voice.

"Yeah. Sorta. I compliment Cheryl and text her all the time. I even "liked" all her photos on Facebook, Instagram and her comments on Twitter."

Betty turned to look at Jughead. He had a disbelieving look on her face. Shaking his head, he let out a deep breath and said, "Call Cheryl and tell her that you like her. Not sure why you like her..."

"Hey!" Both Reggie and Betty said in unison.

"...but you need to tell her. Most people wouldn't know a good thing even if it danced in front of them."

Reggie ran a hand through his black hair; his face scrunched up in disbelief. "I don't know..."

"Look, Archie is with V on a cruise. This is your chance to tell her. She's in Riverdale alone with her grandmother with nothing to do except send me photos of herself with different filters." Betty said showing Reggie the photo gallery on her phone.

Reggie's face immediately lights up seeing Cheryl.

"Fuck!" Jughead thought. "The boy is in love with Cheryl." And against his better judgment, he tells Reggie. "Why don't you come to New York end of September? You can crash on my couch, and we can all hang out as a group."

Reggie and Betty look at Jughead, their surprised expression matching each other.

"Really?" Reggie asked. He jumped from Betty's Lounge chair to Jughead's. He looks at Jughead like he's a godsend.

"Yeah," Jughead said reluctantly. "Cheryl deserves better than panting after Archie who, by the way, doesn't know it yet but is completely in love with Veronica. Reggie- you know she might not love you or even like you back, but you need to tell her just so that you can move on."

Betty's eyes meet Jughead, and it feels like he's talking to her through his words to Reggie. She leans back in her chair and opens the cooler. She takes out an apple and bites into it. The rest of Reggie and Jughead's conversation was all about logistics. It was decided that Reggie would be in New York during the last week of September.

"I better head back home. I told my mom, I'll be back by lunch time. Thanks, BeeCoop," Reggie said as gets up. He bends back at the waist and slaps Jughead's shoulder in appreciation. "Thanks, man!"

Jughead settles back into his chair and starts reading his book as if nothing unusual had just happened.

"Juggie," Betty said as soon as Reggie is out of ear shot. "That was so sweet."

"It was nothing. I just didn't want Reggie to pine after someone who may not feel the same way. Unrequited love suck!"

Before Betty could respond, Jughead jumped up and said, "I'm going to get some ice cream. Want some?"

"No. But we have plenty of food here," Betty said pointing to the cooler.

"But we don't have ice cream," Jughead said.

Betty leaned back and enjoyed the warmth of the sun beating down on her skin. Something cold fell on her stomach, she gasped in surprise.

"Sorry. The ice cream is melting fast," Jughead apologized. He pushed a vanilla ice cream cone at her.

Betty took it and thanked Jughead. He sat down in front of her licking his chocolate ice cream.

After a few moments of silence, Jughead asked, "So do you think Cheryl likes Reggie?"

"I don't believe she has thought of him as an option. She's wanted Archie for so long that she doesn't know how not to want him. The bonus is the competition between herself and V."

Jughead nodded and popped the last bit of the waffle cone in his mouth. "Want to go in the water?"

"Maybe for a bit," Betty said swinging her legs to the ground.

The two of them stood in the water enjoying the cool water on their overheated skin. Betty took hold of Jughead's arm and pulled him towards her. She could feel his eyes on her but didn't look back at him. She wasn't surprised when his fingers found her chin, and he pulled her face towards him.

His soft mouth was on Betty's. She placed both hands on his broad shoulders and inched closer to Jughead. Her mouth opened to allow his tongue entry.

Jughead's hands were on Betty's waist, and he pulled her closer till there was no gap between them. She twisted her head till it almost rested on his chest, her fingers dug painfully into his skin, but Jughead didn't seem to mind.

"I lied," Betty breathed out after she pulled back.

"What?" Jughead said as he laid his cheek on the side of Betty's head.

"No," Betty said a little more forcefully. She pulled back and said, "I lied. I wasn't drunk that night at Reggie's."

Jughead lifted his head and stepped back till he was an arm's length away from her. Betty shivered, not only because of the distance but of the fear of what she was about to tell him.

"I smelled the beer and saw you with a cup of vodka," Jughead said.

"I was helping Nancy and Chuck tap the keg. We must have made a mistake and it kind of sprayed beer all over for a few seconds. My shirt got drenched so I rinsed it at the kitchen sink and threw it in the dryer. I came out to allow my camisole to dry out a bit and someone from the football team pushed the cup of vodka just as I stepped out."

"But you were staggering," Jughead said.

"I was wearing V's stiletto heels," Betty shrugged.

"Oh my gosh! Are you fucking serious?" Jughead ran a hand through his hair and held it there. "Do you know how many months I was racked with guilt?"

"I'm sorry. You were by Reggie's car, and you looked handsome. I came over to chat with you. The mosquitos were biting, and I suggested seating in the car. You started to talk, and I don't know...I thought "it's now or never, and I kissed you." Betty clenched both hands together and brought it to her mouth. Her brows furrowed in worry.

"We did more than just kiss," Jughead spat out. "I pushed you away like, twice, and after the second time, you said you drank enough to give you liquid courage. You said I should just go with the flow. I had three beers that night and I when you suggested going further, I went for it." Jughead turned around and walked towards their lounge chairs. He started to fold the chairs and the umbrella. Without looking back, he picked up both chairs and umbrella. Betty assumed he went to throw everything in the back of the pickup.

Betty stood silently watching until he was out of sight. She went over to the cooler and picking it up; she went to the truck. Jughead was seated there on the driver's side, engine running, head back. Her expression looked pained. Betty put the cooler in the back of the pickup and went to the passenger side. Her cover-up was there, folded neatly. She put it on before getting in. As soon as her seatbelt clicked, Jughead started the engine and off they went.

After Jughead put the truck in park, Betty went straight to her room with her shoulders slumped and her head hanging slightly. She sat slowly on the bed and threw herself backward. Burying her face in her hands, Betty let out an exasperated sigh. She shouldn't have told him the truth, but she couldn't have not told him the truth either.

Her skin felt sticky and sandy from the beach. Standing up, Betty removed her cover-up and was standing in her black bikini, when her door flew open. Instinctively, Betty covered herself with the cover-up.

"What did you mean when you said liquid courage?" Jughead asked gruffly. His eyes looked wild, and his hair was sticking all over the place.

"You know the confidence some people get from drinking alcohol before they do something that needs courage," Betty recited.

"I'm not fucking asking you for a dictionary version. I'm asking what you meant by it!" Jughead growled as he kicked the leg of the bed. Betty jumped a little.

"Oh. I meant that I used it as an excuse to tell you that I liked you," Betty timidly said.

"You liked me? Since when?" Jughead implored. "You have never mentioned liking me ever."

"Since the end of sophomore year when V arranged the picnic by Sweetwater River, and you kept pranking Moose," Betty said. She moved to stand in front of him.

"No. Don't lie to me again," Jughead moved away and stood by the window.

"I'm not lying. I knew you weren't interested so I didn't say anything to you. But that's the reason I asked you to join the Blue & Gold. I mean, you're an amazing writer, but I stayed after school three times a week to correct your material. Come on; it didn't strike you that I could edit stuff at home on my computer?" Betty said exasperatedly.

"I thought you were just old school," Jughead said turning toward Betty. His eyes were dark, and Betty felt a shiver run down her spine.

"Really?" Betty said with disbelief. She rubbed her arms with her hands to keep warm. "I only edited your work after school. I never did Dilton's which was rambling or Ethel's which had dreadful punctuation or even V's gossip column which as you and I both know needed not only editing but entire re-vamping on more than one occasion. I worked on yours to keep you after school and you never even needed to be edited! Seriously, how daft are you?" Betty sat heavily on the bed.

"Daft? You weren't that obvious. How was I to know?" Jughead reasoned.

"Well, I'm telling you now?" Betty holds the cover-up tighter against her body which seems stupid since he had already seen her in the bikini.

"What do I do with that?" Jughead asked.

"I don't know but can you leave. I need to change..." Betty said weakly.

Jughead looked her up and down as if he was seeing her for the first time in his life. "Gosh! You're gorgeous. Where do I go from here? Where do we go from here?"

"I don't know. We can be friends..." Betty didn't want to be friends, but she was going to take what she could and hopefully leave with some dignity.

"Friends? Are you fucking serious? We can't be friends."

Betty looked away from Jughead. Her throat felt funny and her eyes were brimming with unshed tears. "Look, I need you to go. I have to change."

With swift strides, Jughead left the room. Betty looked at the closed door and walked to it. With a click, the door was locked. She lowered her cover-up and used it to wipe her snotty nose.

Betty didn't know what to do. All she knew was she needed to not be in the lake house anymore. She packed with all her belongings briskly and changed into a red sundress. She pulled her crossover bag over her shoulder and took her packed overnight bag quickly. Unlocking the door, Betty walked through the hall to the front door. Her keys were in her hand to aid her in her quick getaway.

Jughead was seating on the couch, his head in his hands and his elbows resting on his bouncing knees. He looked up when he saw her.

Betty took a deep breath, opened the front door and walked to her vehicle, slamming the door behind her. She didn't even bother to open the trunk to put her bag. Throwing her bags in the back seat, she yanked open her door. She started her engine and looked over her shoulder as she began to back out. Her eye caught the blue elephant on the seat beside her.

"Oh my gosh!" Betty said out loud to herself. She put the car in park and started at the stuffed animal like it was going to explode. It was the same one that she had told Jughead that she had preferred over the prize money for the pie eating contest. When had he bought it? It must have been last night after she had gone to bed.

Betty started to cry and grabbed the blue elephant. In all the time that she had known him, Jughead was always doing sweet things for her. She loved him, and she didn't even realize it until that moment.

Her door was jerked open suddenly, and Betty let out a gasp of surprise. Jughead leaned over her and undid her seatbelt and pulled her out of the car gently.

Betty knew that she looked like a mess, but Jughead pushed her against her car and kissed her. "Did they always fit so perfectly together?"

"Juggie...," Betty arched her back in response. "I am sorry," she whispered against his lips.

"Betts, don't leave. Please don't go," Jughead begged as he moved his lips from her mouth to her cheek, kissing it gently.

Jughead bent slightly to wrapped his arms around Betty's thighs, hoisting her up. She wrapped her legs around him and ran both hands through his soft hair. He nuzzled her neck.

"So basically, I liked you since middle school. You liked me since high school. We were both too scared to tell each other. So you decided to "jump me"- Your words, not mine. Got scared again, avoided me like the plague for the next two years," Jughead said. His blue eyes were shining as he looked at her.

"That sums it up," Betty said with a small smile.

"We are so stupid," Jughead laughed as he tucked a loose tendril of Betty's hair behind her ear.

"Why didn't you say anything all these years?"

"As I said, I was stupid. Plus I don't think I could have taken the rejection. So I was stupid and scared," Jughead rested his forehead against Betty's.

Betty closed her eyes and smiled. Her hands moved from Jughead's shoulders to encircle her arms around his neck.

"Do you want to come in and we can talk about this?" Jughead asked. She felt his breath on her lips.

"No," Betty said. She felt him tense up. "I think we talked enough about this. You promised me sex- mind blowing sex."

Jughead laughed. "And I'm a man of my word. But it's 2 o'clock in the afternoon. I doubt that a lady like yourself would want to be ravished at this time of the day."

Betty moved her head back and looked at the handsome man before her, "Well, maybe for today, I don't want to be a lady."

Jughead's eyes were full of mischief as he threw Betty over his shoulder and took her inside the lake house. He slammed the door shut with his foot and proceeded down the hall to the master bedroom.

"V is going to kill me if she finds out I had sex in her parent's room," Betty giggled.

Jughead paused and turned around to his bedroom.

"Are you scared of V?" Betty teased.

"Nope. I just realized where the condoms were," Jughead said as he threw Betty on the bed. She bounced twice before stopping. She lifted herself on her elbows and watched Jughead remove his shirt and swim shorts.

Standing before Betty in all his glory, he said, "You're a little overdressed for this party."

"I was enjoying the strip show. Maybe next time you need to go a bit slower and strut around a bit," Betty teased. She was giddy from the sudden turn of events. But she complied. In one swift movement, her dress was off. She wasn't wearing a bra and was slightly self-conscience.

Betty laid back on the bed. Jughead hovered over her and slowly lowered himself on her. His leg was in between hers, and his forearms were holding his upper body above her.

"Hey," Jughead said as he brushed his lips on hers. "This okay?"

"More than okay," Betty answered as she looped her hands across his back over his shoulders to pull him down a little bit more.

Jughead sucked Betty's bottom lip and ran his tongue over the delicate skin. He moved his forearms so that on hand could slip into her hair and the other under her back. He flipped them over so that she was on top.

Betty moved her hands across Jughead's torso and kissed her way from his collar bone, down his chest, she made a side trip to suck on his dark nipples and proceeded on her journey down. The hair on his stomach tickled her nose as she grabbed hold of his dick. It was thick and long just like how she remembered it.

"You don't have to..." Jughead started and moaned as Betty wrapped her mouth around his length. She squeezed his balls as she sucked him.

Jughead's hands were in Betty's hair, pulling it and massaging her scalp. "Stop Betts. I'm so close.". He moved his hips to get her to stop and pulled her upward. He all but slammed her mouth to his. His tongue entered her mouth and roughly slid on hers.

Stretching out, Jughead took a condom from the drawer. Betty raised her head and took the foil packet and ripped it open with her teeth. She went back down to put it on, but Jughead held her wrist.

Flipping them over once again, Jughead knelt between her legs. He removed her soaked panties and threw them on the floor. With a smirk at Betty, he raised one eyebrow and picked up one leg and threw it over his shoulder. He tilted his head and kissed her ankle, calf and then her inner thigh.

Betty grabbed the sheets with his clenched fist and moaned loudly as Jughead bit the tender skin of her inner thigh. He sucked on it for a few seconds before continuing to proceed to her moist, needy center. She could already feel the warm liquid start to leak.

"Juggie," Betty moaned.

"What is it, Elizabeth?" Jughead mocked. "What do you need?"

"You know what I need," Betty said. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was ragged.

"I want you to tell me," Jughead continued to tease.

Betty could feel his warm breath on her clit. She pushed her hips towards his mouth, but Jughead moved back.

"Tell me Elizabeth, or you won't get what you want."

"I want you. I need you. Please..." Betty begged.

Jughead hastily pushed one finger into her and sucked her throbbing center. Betty almost sobbed in relief. Her hands were in his hair, pulling it.

Betty's heart was beating fast, and she felt sweat seeping through her pores. She put one hand on her forehead to push away her hair.

"Fuck, Juggie," Betty groaned. "When did you get so good? Lots of practice in California?"

Jughead raised his head. "Unrequited love and porn are a great combination."

Betty laughter was cut short as Jughead pushed in a second finger and bent it slightly. She felt like a shock as her body released her desire onto his fingers.

Jughead kissed his way up quickly and stopped only to stop and stare at her breasts. "Hello, my gorgeous ladies. We meet again although you have grown up a bit since last time."

"Juggie, stop talking to my breasts. Eyes up here."

Jughead quickly looked up and smiled as his eyes twinkled. "Aww....I think they missed me, they puckered up when I spoke to them."

Betty rolled her eyes and pulled him up. She kissed him hard on his lips. "I missed you, Juggie."

Jughead's smile disappeared, and his eyes darkened. "Betts..." He took the condom from the foil wrapper which was on the bed and rolled it on. He entered her and moved his hips back and forth, in and out. He buried his head in her neck and took a deep breath. "I missed you. Betts."

"I missed you too. I never knew how much until today," Betty said as she closed her eyes. Tears prickled her eyelids, but she bit her lip to prevent them from falling.

"I'm so close, Juggie."

"Let go, Betts. Just let go," Jughead's voice was gentle.

Betty let go. She arched her back, and her nails dug into his back. The tightening of her walls caused Jughead to lose control too, and he joined her in ecstasy a few seconds later.

Jughead rolled off Betty, breathing labored and panting loudly. The sheets were wet with her cum and their sweat.

"So what do you want to do when we leave our private oasis?" Betty said, her chest was still heaving.

"Continue doing this as often as we can," Jughead turned to look at her and pushed her hair back from her face.

"And tell our friends?"

"Yes, if that's what you want to do."

"That's what I want to do." Betty sighed and moved to lay her head on Jughead's chest. But he stopped her and rolled on top of her instead.

"What are you doing?" Betty asked.

"The first time we did this, we did it three times. I think I can beat that," Jughead said.

"I have to bathe. I''m icky..." Betty said pushing Jughead off of her and swinging her legs to the floor.

"Good idea, I have never done it in the shower before," Jughead said scrambling behind her.

"Are you serious?" Betty asked as her eyebrows furrowed.

"As a heart attack," Jughead said leading the way to the shower.

Betty smirked and followed suit. It might be fun!  
______________________________

After their second sexcapade in the bathroom, Betty went to her car in Jughead's bathrobe and brought her stuff back in. She dressed in her black lingerie in the master bedroom and padded to the kitchen.

Jughead was busy raiding the cooler in his gray boxers, and several empty sandwich bags were on the counter. He must have heard her, but without turning around, he said "Gosh! I was so hungry. I ate almost everything except the fruits. That I left for you. I can heat up last night's dinner for you..."

Jughead turned and saw Betty leaning against the kitchen island. Her left leg was jutting out in true Angelina Jolie style, her hand was on her waist, and she had a seductive smile on her face.

Swallowing the last bite of his tuna fish sandwich, Jughead said, "Wow! You look hot. Why are you wearing that?"

"To tempt you," Betty said honestly as she moved to wrap her arms around Jughead's neck.

"I'm tempted all right. But I'm tempted when you're wearing your sweats. Tempted when you used to wear that itsy bitsy cheerleader uniform," Jughead said as he placed both hands on Betty's waist, "tempted when you wore that very sexy black bikini." He placed soft kisses on Betty's neck. "Tempted in just about anything and," Jughead waggling his eyebrows, "and even more when you wear nothing at all."

Betty threw her head back and laughed. "You are so good for my ego."

"Eat something. I'm not letting you out of that bedroom till tomorrow morning," Jughead said as he bit into Betty's neck.

Betty closed her eyes and moaned. "You realize that the sun hasn't even gone down yet, right?"

"Great! More time to screw you till you can't walk."

"We have until tomorrow evening. Why don't we pace ourselves?" Betty said but found her hips grinding into Jughead's front.

Jughead lifts his head to look at Betty and then looks at what she's doing to him. "You might want to say that to your lady parts cause she's waking up my sleeping penis."

Betty put her hand in Jughead's boxers. "Oopsy! I think I woke up the sleeping giant."

"Sleeping giant. I like that. Henceforth, my penis will be called the giant," Jughead thundered.

Betty stroked him, and Jughead stopped her by putting his hand over his boxers. "You are going to be the death of me, you know that right?"

"But what better way to die?"

"True." Jughead pulled Betty's hand out and carried her to the bedroom.  
__________________________________________________________


	5. Chapter 5 (60-84 hours)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty and Jughead are enjoying discovering each other. Reggie makes an appearance.

Betty was seating on the couch in neon green panties and a black tank top. It was a little after 6:20 am, and she was eating cereal. After a night of debauchery, she was famished. Her body was sore, but it was so worth it. She thought of the previous night and felt a dull ache between her legs. 

Placing her empty bowl on the cocktail table, Betty padded her way back to the bedroom. She saw the gorgeous man sprawled on the bed. The quilt covered his lower body, but one leg had escaped and laid on top of it. She removed her sparse clothing and crawled slowly on to the bed to not wake up Jughead. She pulled the quilt off his body to expose his impressive half-mast and wrapped her lips around his penis, sucking softly. He moved his legs slightly as he moaned in his sleep. 

Jughead started to stir a little more as Betty sucked his cock a little harder. She rolled her tongue around the head and cupped his balls, squeezing them gently. 

"Am I dreaming?" Jughead mumbled dreamily. 

Betty looked up at Jughead who had lifted his head to see the beautiful blonde nestled in between his legs. His eyes were heavy with sleep, and his lips are swollen from the passionate night. His hands moved to her hair, rubbing the silky tresses. His pale skin started to glisten with sweat, and he let out a deep groan. "Please stop, Betts."

Betty refused to listen but dug her fingers into his thighs to prevent them from moving and sucked harder. The velvety skin of his manhood against her soft lips was driving her crazy. She tasted the salty pre-cum and felt the moisture start to gather in her clit. She rolled her hips but kept her mouth steadily on him. Using her thumb and index finger, she circled his penis at the base. As she stroked him with her mouth up and down, she moved her fingers as well. 

"I'm so close, babe. You have to stop, or I'm going to cum in your mouth." Jughead moaned louder and cupped the back of Betty's head firmly; he pulled her upward. 

Betty let go of Jughead with a soft pop. She kissed her way slowly from his groin all the way to his neck. She bit the delicate skin before she sucked it, her tongue was hot and wet.

Jughead without any warning plunged two fingers into Betty's clit. Betty lifted her head at the unexpected yet satisfying intrusion and let out a loud moan. Her back arched at the sudden pleasure waves coursing through her body. He removed his fingers and flipped them around so that he was now on top. Covering Betty's mouth with his own, Jughead pushed his tongue through her lips. 

One hand dug into Jughead's shoulders while the other ran through her sweaty hair. He moved from her lips to kiss her jawline and her neck, moving lower to graze her collarbone with his teeth. 

Jughead's hands grabbed Betty's wrists and held them firmly over her head with one hand. He then moved his other hand between their body and pushed it against her clit, circling it. His mouth found her taut nipple, and he sucked the dusty pink mound. 

Betty's gasped loudly as she struggled to break her hands free from Jughead's tight grip. "Juggie, Juggie, it's too much. Please let go of my hands. I need to touch you."

Jughead ignored her plea and continued his ministrations to her clit and her breast. With a loud groan, Betty released her lust onto his fingers. Pulling his fingers out, he brought them to his mouth and sucked the viscous fluid. Betty's green eyes turned dark watching him, and she wrapped her legs around Jughead's waist, pulling him closer to her core.

"You are impatient, Betts," Jughead mocked."Good things come to those who wait." He bowed his head to kiss Betty, but she moved her head.

"I've waited long enough. Fuck me. Fuck me hard. I want to feel you all the way in my goddamn throat." Betty groaned. 

Jughead clenched his jaw and released Betty's hands. She immediately grabbed hold of his manhood and aligned it to her clit pushing the tip in. He pushed himself completely inside her vigorously.

"Ah!" Betty yelped out. 

"Gosh, Betts. Did I hurt you?" Jughead asked concerned that he was too rough on her.

"Don't stop, Juggie." Betty moaned. 

Jughead moved hard and fast into Betty and looked at her face. With her forehead furrowed, her eyes squeezed shut, and her mouth was open panting noisily, Jughead swore that she was the most beautiful person he has ever seen. He dropped his forehead to hers, their noses scrunched together, breathing the same air.

Betty suddenly stiffened and cried as she orgasmed. Watching her, Jughead released himself as well.

Jughead rolled off of Betty. They were both panting loudly, sweating profusely. Jughead got on his elbow and kissed Betty lightly on the corner of her mouth. 

"Babe, that was the best wake-up call ever. We need to do that every morning,"Jughead happily said as he wrapped his finger around a sweaty curl of her hair. 

"Juggie?" Betty asked as she ran a finger over his high cheek bone, "You never told me where your new apartment is."

Jughead gave Betty a wolfish smile. "It's on 14th and E street. Building 203, Apt number 203."

"You're fucking me!" She raised her head with her mouth agape. "You're going to be living one floor above me?"

Jughead pulled Betty up for a quick kiss and said, "I even found a roommate."

"Oh my gosh, Juggie!" Betty squealed. "I get to see you every day." 

"We attend the same college and are in the same program, so that was always a given."

Betty buried her face into Jughead's chest and felt her eyes get heavy as the recently completed strenuous activity had completely tired her out. She heard Jughead mumble something in her ear. 

"I'm sorry. I didn't hear that," Betty said as she mentally shook herself awake. She smiled lazily at the man above her as she pushed back his black hair.

"I love you."

Betty's eyes were as big as saucers. One look at his pursed lips and the sincerity in his blue eyes and she knew that he spoke the words of his heart.

"Don't say anything. I know it's too soon for you, but I've known from the time I was thirteen years old that I was crazy about you. I just wanted you to know that I'm so deeply in love with you," Jughead said tenderly. He laid a soft kiss on Betty's forehead.

Jughead rolled off the bed and swung his legs on the side of the bed. His feet hit the floor with a dull thud. He pulled up his boxers and disappeared into the bathroom.

Betty laid stunned. It was too early for Jughead to have said those words, right? She's known Jughead almost her whole life. She was there for him when his mother left; he was there for her when Polly eloped with Jason. They held each other when Jughead's dad went to rehab, and he had to move in with Archie. Whenever Betty's mom was grating on her last nerve, the person she turned to was always Jughead. But on the other hand, they hadn't spoken to each other in almost two years! 

Her phone rang. Betty grabbed it without looking at the number.

"Hey, Betty."

"Polly? Is something wrong?" 

"No. I just wanted to talk to you. Is this s a good time?The kids are asleep, and I'm just having my morning tea," Polly said cheerily.

"Everything is good, Pol but I have to ask you something. And I need the truth." Betty sat up in bed leaning against the headboard.

"You're scaring me..."

"Why did you push me away after you left Riverdale? Me and Cheryl? Didn't you miss me?" Betty asked. The hurt was evident in her voice.

"Betty, of course, I miss you. I wish you could visit but..." Polly's voice trailed off. 

"But what, Polly?" Betty pushed. She glanced at the bathroom door as Jughead started the shower wishing she could join him. 

"Betty," Polly started to cry, "we live in a one-bedroom basement in the middle of rural Pennsylvania. I didn't want you to judge my decisions. 

"Pol! I love you. Why would I judge you?" Betty was horrified that her sister thought that. "Did I do something or say something that made you feel this way?"

"I don't know. Mom and Penelope and Clifford..." Polly started to cry again.

"I'm not mom or Penelope or Clifford. I'm your only sister, and I love you unconditionally. I don't care if you live in a shack in the middle of nowhere. I just want to see you and the kids," Betty said lovingly. She felt her eyes become wet with emotion.

"You want to come for Thanksgiving? You might have to sleep on the couch but...," Polly said. Her sniffles could be heard through the phone.

"You need a break. Why don't you come over? My apartment is small but New York is so much fun, and Cheryl is there. She misses Jason too."

"Really, Betty?" Polly asked. 

"Yeah."

"Jason doesn't want Cheryl to know about our circumstances. He's embarrassed," Polly said.

"Cheryl loves him as I love you. She's hurt. Jason needs to tell her. You won't believe the number of times she has come to my house crying. Not just crying but sobbing because she misses Jason," Betty said.

"I'm sorry for this mess," Polly said. Her voice laced with guilt. "I am happy, Betty even though money is tight. I love Jason, and he loves me." 

"I am happy for you. How are classes?" Betty asked changing the topic.

"I took a break. I am so busy with the kids, but Jason is doing well. He transferred from the community college to the university. He has to drive quite a bit, but he has a full scholarship. I am so proud of him. He'll finish in 18 months at the rate he is going." 

"That's fantastic, Polly," Betty said. The shower had stopped running. 

"Hey, I have to go. My two brats are trying to escape from their room. The terrible threes are worse than the terrible twos," Polly said with a sigh.

Jughead walked out of the bathroom, a towel tied low around his waist. His wet hair looked darker than usual. 

"Bye Polly and please talk to Cheryl," Betty said. "I love you."

Betty placed her phone back on the nightstand. She smiled at Jughead and wrapped the sheet around her body. She walked over to him and tilted her head up for a kiss that he gladly planted on her lips.

"I love you too," Betty said as she moved back. 

Jughead's eyes sparkled as he heard Betty say those three words.

"Betts, you don't have to..." He touched her cheek with the back of his fingers. 

Betty held his hand and moved to kiss it. "I wanted to." She said quietly. 

____________________________________________________

The rest of the day was spent watching Netflix and making out on the couch. Around noon, Betty suggested a trip to the flea market, and Jughead begrudgingly followed. They didn't stay long, but it was nice to walk around in public, holding hands and hugging. 

The couple hit the famous Fish and Chips place on Bleecker street and took a leisurely stroll back. They were distracted and didn't notice a red BMW slow down and roll down the driver's side window.

"Elizabeth! Forsythe!" Cheryl's high pitched voice left goose bumps on Betty's body.

"Cheryl! What are you doing here?" Betty asked as she leaned over and to give Cheryl a peck on her cheek.

"Two days of Grandma Rose was more than enough for her and me. I was heading back to the city and thought I'd make a little pit stop." Cheryl said happily.

"There's something on your face," Jughead said pointing to Cheryl.

"What? Is my mascara running?" Cheryl asked as looked at herself in the rear-view mirror.

"No, your lips are tilted upward. It looks like, dare I say it, a smile," Jughead said jokingly.

Cheryl shot Jughead a dirty look and turned to face Betty. "Jason called, and he told me about your conversation with Polly."

"That was quick!" Betty said.

"Yes. I can't believe we'll see them for Thanksgiving. I'm going to spoil my nephew and niece so much," Cheryl gleefully said. "Hop in."

The car door clicked open, and Betty sat in the passenger's seat while Jughead sat at the back. The ride was short and peaceful, each one lost in their own thoughts.

The second they stepped into the house, Cheryl looked at Betty and Jughead. 

"This house smells of sex," She sniffed again. "Good sex. O-M-G! You guys did it!" Cheryl's mouth dropped open in surprise. It would have been comical except for the fact that Betty and Jughead didn't want Cheryl to know.

Jughead rubbed the back of his neck looking at Betty uncomfortably. Betty let out an irritated sigh. 

"Cheryl, please don't tell V or Archie," Betty begged.

"Is this a one-time thing or did you guys finally admit your feelings to each other." Cheryl saw the dumbfounded faces of her friends. "I guess it's the latter. Which bedroom is mine? I'm sure you guys didn't defile the Lodge's master bedroom, so I'll stay there." 

Cheryl took her bag and rolled it toward the master suite and with a flick of her long red hair, she started to walk away. 

"Please don't tell me you have had sex on every surface of this house," Cheryl scrunched up her nose in disgust. 

"No, Cheryl. We restricted our activities to the guest room."

Cheryl went into the guest room before heading to the master, "From the smell of things, burn those sheets. In fact, burn that bed. Burn that area, if you can."

"God Cheryl...." Betty mumbled under her breath as she shyly looked at Jughead who was in deep thought.

"You know this might be a good time for Reggie to stop by," Jughead said.

"Why? So that he and sex-sniffing Cheryl can get it on as well?" Betty said as she rolled her eyes. "We might as well call this place the sex palace and burn the place tomorrow."

"Can she really smell sex?" Jughead asked curiously.

"I don't know...but I don't want her to tell Archie and V."

"Why?"

"Cause I want to tell them. You and I together. I want this to be our news not gossip from Cheryl. I love her, but she loves to get the scoop and spread it," Betty said as she hugged Jughead, her head resting on his chest.

"So maybe Reggie will slow her down?" Jughead suggested softly.

"Or throw her off the game? Or maybe you're just one big softie," Betty said as she stood on her tip toes to give Jughead a quick kiss.

Jughead rolled his eyes. "Me? A softie," he scoffed. Pulling out his phone, he texted Reggie. Luckily, the responses were instant.

J: Reggie, can you come over for dinner?

R: I can. What are you cooking?

J: The food isn't important. Cheryl is here!

R: WHAT!!!! 

J: She surprised us. 6:00 pm and don't be late.

Jughead looked at Betty who had moved to the kitchen to check what ingredients they had to make dinner.

"He's in," Jughead said.

"Great! I can whip up some Caprese salad, a pesto pasta with chicken and, a fruit salad," Betty said staring into the fridge. 

"I can clean up," Jughead said as he moved around to put things away.

"And Juggie," Betty said, "burn some candles."  
\--------------------------------------------------------------  
Reggie and Cheryl were sitting on one side of the table while Betty and Jughead sat on the other.

"This pasta is amazing!" Reggie said as he forked a piece of chicken.

"Thanks, Reggie!"

"Cheryl," Reggie said after he cleared his throat. "Do you cook?"

"I can boil water for tea, and that's the extent of my cooking skills," Cheryl said shooting Reggie a sideways glance.

"That's not true. Cheryl makes a mean English trifle," Betty said kindly.

Cheryl looked at Betty a little confused. "I can assemble food, Elizabeth," Cheryl said in a tone so like Alice Cooper.

"Do you like living in New York?" Reggie asked Cheryl.

"It's fun," Cheryl said pushing her hair back and reached for a glass of wine. 

"Cheryl loves to socialize. She's always the life of any party," Jughead said trying to get the conversation moving.

"I'm the bitch at every party you mean," Cheryl said to Jughead.

Reggie spat out the wine he was sipping as Cheryl looked even more confused.

"Nonsense. You're always so energetic," Betty said as she leaned over to help Reggie clean up.

"Elizabeth, help me get some more wine," Cheryl said getting up abruptly.

"Sure," Betty said. "I'll bring some wet napkins as well."

Once Betty reached the kitchen, Cheryl turned to her. "Are you seriously trying to set me up with Reggie?"

"Cher," Betty whined, "he likes you and has since high school. Can't you give him a chance?

"I would if he had the balls to ask me out," Cheryl said as she looked at her nails.

"He's nervous," Betty said. She placed a hand on Cheryl's shoulder. "Just be nice."

"Fine!" Cheryl stormed out of the kitchen and sat in her seat. 

It was a few minutes of awkward silence before Betty came in with the dessert. 

"I'll just place this here for later," Betty said as she set a bowl of fruit salad. "Juggie, can you get the plates and forks?"

"Sure," Juggie said rising from his seat.

"Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum think you like me," Cheryl said bluntly turning to Reggie.

Reggie looked like the kid who was caught red handed with his hand in the cookie jar. Jughead and Betty look at their friends stunned.

Reggie wiped his mouth on his napkin and said, "Yes, Cheryl, I do."

"When are you going to be in New York City?"

"End of the month. I'll ...I'll be staying with Jughead," Reggie stammered.

"Take me out for dinner. I like sushi," Cheryl said as she got up. "I'm off to bed. I've had a long day. See you in a few weeks, and Tweedle-dum snores so bring some ear plugs."

"Hey, I don't snore," Jughead objected loudly. 

Cheryl walked away without a backward glance. After her door slammed shut, Reggie looked at the couple before him with a goofy grin; he said, "I have a date with Cheryl Blossom."  
____________________________________________

Later that night after cleaning up, Betty and Jughead cuddled in bed, the laptop resting precariously on Jughead's lap.

"We did the right thing setting them up, right?" Jughead asked.

"Yeah. Why?" Betty questioned.

"Cheryl seems so cold," Jughead said thoughtfully.

Betty slapped Jughead's chest playfully. "That's her shell. She's a beautiful person who is a straight shooter. Believe me; I honestly think they would complement each other well. Otherwise, I won't have encouraged him."

"Well, if you're sure..." Jughead's voice trailed off doubtfully. 

"I am," Betty said with certainty. "Now shut off that light. We have a long day of driving ahead of us."

Jughead did as he was told and hugged the beautiful blonde next to him. "Goodnight, my love."


	6. Chapter 5 (84- 96 hours)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jughead and Betty head back to the city.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. What do you think? Would you like some more? I am toying with the idea of more Cheryl/Reggie and some Jason/Polly.

Betty woke up to someone nuzzling her neck. She opened her eyes slowly and looked around the dark room. The scent of Juggie's deodorant awakened her senses even more.

"Juggie," Betty moaned. Her voice was thick with sleep. "What time is it?"

"No idea," Juggie responded as he continued to kiss Betty's neck. 

"I need sleep, Juggie," Betty said as she spread her legs for Jughead to settle in between them. 

Jughead moved from Betty's neck to her chest and licked the skin between her ample breasts. 

Betty's hands are on Jughead's head stroking the soft, black hair. Her nails graze his scalp as she settles back to enjoy the sensations Jughead's lips and fingers are doing to her body.

Jughead's wet tongue traces her areola of one breast as his hand massaged the other. Betty gasped as his hand squeezed harder than expected. She moved her leg to wrap it around Jughead's thigh.

Betty pulled at Jughead's hair so that he was forced to look at her. The dark made it difficult for her to make put his expression but she could see the whites of his eyes.

"Kiss me," Betty said.

"Where?" Jughead asked. "Here." He moved his hand from her breast to her lips tracing its outline lightly. The touch sends tingles down her spine.

"Or here?" Jughead seductively asked as he moved one finger from her lips, down his throat, across her chest and circles the taut nipple. "Or maybe down here?" He continues to move down her stomach and stops in between her legs. One finger dips into her wet core and moves back up to her clit. 

Betty arches her back. "Fuck, Juggie." She pushes Jughead's downward in response.

Jughead dives in between Betty's legs and replaces his finger with his mouth. Sucking the sensitive nub, he holds her legs apart and then moves his hands to the back of them. Pushing his thighs upward till Betty is forced to place her feet on his shoulders.

"Juggie, what are you...Ah...oh my, fuck...that feels so good," Betty cried in pleasure. She could feel tears prickle her eyes as Jughead moved his mouth from her clit to her soaking wet vagina again and again. She gripped the bed sheets with her fists to try and control her emotions.

"I'm so close, Juggie," Betty sobbed. With a final shout, her desire came shooting out onto Jughead's mouth. 

Betty covered her face with her hand as she tried to calm her racing heart. Her fingers dug into the sweaty skin of her forehead as she pulled Jughead by his hair toward her face. But he shook his head and returned to her clit.

"Juggie," Betty said, "please...come up."

"I need you to cum for me again," Jughead's muffled voice said.

"I can't, Juggie. I need you in me." 

"One more time, babe."

Betty couldn't see his face, but she knew Jughead was smirking. She settled back into the soft mattress and surrendered to the passion.

Her second orgasm was much quicker and stronger than her first. But this time, as soon as she came, she pulled herself up and scooted to the head board. 

"Where did you go?" Jughead playfully asked.

"Come here," Betty said as she arranged pillows behind her back.

Jughead moved up and dropped his forehead on hers. Betty smiled and pressed her lips to his. It was soft and quick. 

"Come here, Jug," Betty said as she moved from her spot and pushed Jughead into place. She straddled his legs, and in one fluid motion, she pulled him into her. She moved her head to capture his mouth, sucking on the plump lower lip. Her teeth bit into the soft skin, and Jughead let out a little yelp. 

Betty smiled and pushed her tongue into his mouth. She could taste herself on his tongue. "I taste good," Betty joked. "No wonder you wanted to stay down there."

"You taste like strawberry ice cream with a pinch of salt," Jughead laughed. 

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. What do I taste like?" Jughead's hands were on Betty's waist as he changed her rhythm to slower and softer.

"Salt water taffy," Betty said with a giggle.

"That's not very masculine," Jughead said. He moved his hands to Betty's butt. He presses her into him a little move.

"You are all male, believe me," Betty said as she captured his mouth with hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "I am so in love with you, Juggie."

"I love you too," Jughead said.

"I'm so sorry that I cut you out of my life. That was so cruel of me." Betty played with the hair at Jughead's nape.

"It's ok," Jughead said as he rubbed Betty's shoulders soothingly.

"No, it's not. I wanted you to know that I was scared and I knew if I was with you, then it was going to be forever for me, and I wasn't sure if that's what you wanted and...I freaked out."

"But I want that too, Betts. I wanted you then; I want you now. I want you tomorrow; I want you forever too." Jughead pulled Betty for a kiss. 

"I can get crazy," Betty said as she moved away from Jughead.

"You can keep me on my toes."

"I need reassurance from time to time," Betty said as she held Jughead's face, rubbing her thumbs across his cheekbones.

"I am a supportive guy," Jughead replied as he pushed into Betty's hand.

"My family is complicated," Betty said again.

"Mine is too."

"My mom is the spawn of Satan," Betty said moving to nuzzle Jughead's neck.

"My mom is the succubus," Jughead grinned.

"We are so messed up," Betty responded with a sigh.

Without breaking their coital connection, Jughead pushed Betty backward and laid on top of her. They moved slowly and with a groan, they both reached their high together.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
"Cheryl?" Betty asked as she walked into the living room. It was a little past 9:00 am. "I rarely see you up before noon."

"Your monkey sex woke me up. Seriously? 4:15 am! Couldn't you wait till a decent time like after the rooster crows?" Cheryl said annoyed. She was sitting at the dining table sipping hot tea.

"Sorry, I thought we were being quiet," Betty apologized taking a seat opposite Cheryl.

"I hate to break it to you, but if that was quiet, your neighbors are going to be complaining all the time," Cheryl said.

Cheryl and Betty sat in silence both lost in their own thoughts.

"What are your thoughts on Reggie?" Betty asked getting up and making a pot of coffee.

"He's a bit of a ...doofus, right?"

"He's sweet and kind," Betty said but seeing Cheryl's raised eyebrow she shrugged her shoulder and tilted her head, "...and maybe a bit of a jock."

"He's too tall. I could fit in his pocket," Cheryl said as Betty brought a plate of croissants.

"Don't be rude. You're just vertically challenged, and Reggie is a bit generous in that department."

"Why are you pushing this?" Cheryl asked slightly annoyed.

"Cause I want you to be happy," Betty asked as she covered one of Cheryl's hand with her own. 

"I don't think I've ever been happy," Cheryl stated.

Betty walked over and knelt next to Cheryl, hugging her. "Why did we all have to get such messed up parents?"

Cheryl didn't say anything, but after Betty pulled away, she smiled at her. 

"Please try with Reggie," Betty pleaded. 

"I will," Cheryl promised.

"And be gentle," Betty continued. 

Cheryl didn't say anything but bit into her croissant and gave Betty a smirk.  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
The rest of the morning was spent cleaning up the house. Washing sheets, some vacuuming, cleaning the fridge.

Cheryl, of course, didn't move a muscle to help. She was sitting on the floor near the fireplace applying dark purple nail polish. "Why can't you call a cleaning service and put it on the Lodge's account? They won't mind."

"They won't know where to put things," Betty said loudly to Cheryl as she wiped down the counter then she dropped her voice down to a whisper so that only could hear, "plus I would be embarrassed to have anyone touch those sheets."

Jughead gave Betty a coy smile as he continued to clean out the fridge. "Did you have to wash them so early? I could have gone a few more rounds."

"Down, down, monkey-boy," Betty teased. "We already woke Cheryl up in the middle of the night cause you couldn't control yourself."

"I didn't hear you complaining. In fact, your moans were the reason Cheryl woke up." Jughead flicked a piece of celery toward Betty.

"Hey," Betty playfully said as she ducked out of the celery's way.

Jughead and Betty turned to their respective jobs. After a few minutes, Cheryl walked in. "I'm going to leave soon. Meet you guys in the city. Brunch next week, Betty? Jughead?"

"Am I invited?" Jughead asked.

"Well, as Betty's boyfriend- you are an official part of the Saturday Brunch Bunch."

Cheryl turned on her heel and disappeared into her room. Jughead looked at Betty's blushing face and asked, "You OK?"

"Yes, boyfriend. I'm all right," Betty answered as she walked over and kissed Jughead's cheek. 

"Let's load up the cars and leave once I make the beds."

"Want to sully them one more time?" Jughead asked playfully.

"As tempting as that sounds, we don't have the time to rewash them," Betty whined as Jughead pulled her in for a deeper kiss.

"Stop, babe," Betty said against his lips but continued to give move her lips against him.

Jughead wrapped his arms around Betty. "Your vehicle has a big back seat."

"No!" Betty said firmly pushing Jughead away. "You're like a male version of a Siren luring me to the rocks."

Jughead laughed and watched Betty walk to the laundry room to get the sheets. He let out a chuckle and proceeded to take the trash out.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Both vehicles were loaded and ready to go. Cheryl had a 45-minute head start, and they had agreed to meet for an early dinner near Betty and Jughead's building.

"Well, it was nice knowing you," Betty said as locked the front door of the house.

"We should have driven together," Jughead said as he opened Betty's car door.

"Sorry," Betty pouted as she moved to stand on the other side of the open car door. "If I knew that this weekend would have ended up being so good, I would have made the trip up along with you."

"We'll stop every hour and make out for 5 minutes," Jughead said, "that should be good enough for now."

"10 minutes and you have yourself a deal," Betty said as she stood on her toes to kiss Jughead above the open car door.

"Fine," Jughead said letting out an exaggerated pained sigh, "But you're buying me lunch."

"I can do that," Betty said as she pushed a lock of black hair away from Jughead's forehead. 

"And you're going to text dirty things to me all the way to the city." Jughead's eyes twinkled in mischief. 

"Dirty things such as "I just passed a pile of garbage" or dirty things such as "Babe, I know I'm driving to the city, but I wish I could ride you instead." Betty stretched up to bite his earlobe, "Hard and fast all night long."

Jughead groaned as he regretted making the playful suggestion.

"Or maybe something like, guess what I'm wearing under my dress- absolutely nothing!"

"You are so killing me!" 

"See you in an hour, babe," Betty said as she turned around and got into her car. With a wink and a wave, she started the engine and backed out of the driveway. 

Jughead watched her leave and smiled to himself. She was going to pay for that. And pay for it dearly in exactly one hour. He turned around and got into his pickup.   
\--------------------------------------FINI--------------------------------------------


End file.
